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History of Touch Football
History of Touch Football
Touch Football was formally established in 1968 by Bob Dyke and Ray Vawdon of the South Sydney
Juniors rugby league club.
Although closely aligned to Rugby League, all heavy body contact is eliminated in Touch Football.
There are no tackles, scrums or kicking. The emphasis is on running, agility, passing and catching.
Originally devised as a training method for League players and a means for retired players to still
compete and remain fit, the game had spread across Australia and New Zealand by 1976.
Women’s Touch was first played at a representative level in 1979, the first National Championships
held in 1980 and the first Touch World Cup in 1988. The first National Touch League (NTL)
tournament was launched in 1997.
In 2013, the NRL and Touch Football Australia formed a partnership and 2018 sees the 50th
anniversary of the game.
Today, Touch is among the highest participation-based organised sports with over 613,000 taking
part. Forty-six per cent of these are female, and participants can play in men’s, women’s, or mixed
gender teams, and of any age or sporting ability.
The sport is now played in 53 countries worldwide.